Hello again,
About 6 months ago I had to have a wheel bearing sorted out on my H reg Saab
9000. About 3 months later it didn't 'feel right'. Now it seems as bad as
ever. Is it usual for this to happen in such short a time?
The same garage stripped the turbo down.....and it still has a leak. They
did an oil change and I ran out of oil within 2 months. I don't understand
any of what goes on under the bonnet. Is it worth going to complain after
all this time? Do I have a complaint?
To make matters worse I now have a battery light coming on, I'm not sure if
the battery isn't holding charge or something isn't charging the battery.
Any ideas how I can tell without spending cash at a garage? I'm pretty broke
and struggling to keep the car on the road for work.
Thanks in advance,
Denise
PS. I'm blonde so please type replies really slowly and should anyone win
the lottery please feel free to mend 'old Matilda the car' for me!





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Hi again,

Are you writing a book or something ;-)

Denise wrote:
What were the symptoms that meant a bearing had to be changed?
What are the symptoms of "does not feel right" now?

Whatever, it can be another bearing or something else.

Sorry I can't comment.

They
I think you have a very unwell car. I would look for any significant
dripping of oil, and it it is not there then the oil is getting burned
(it shouldn't).

Probably just alternator brushes or the alternator itself.

I think you have got the wrong car. Keeping an old SAAB running and not
DIYing it will be expensive! Too expensive!

Regards
Charles

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles C." <c.k.christacopoulos (AT) dundee (DOT) ac.uk>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.saab
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 11:22 PM
Subject: Re: Wheel bearing


I contacted the group about 6 months ago, shortly after my husband left me
and the kids. I had a car to get through it's mot and wasn't sure how much
it should cost. They also helped me out after the garage worked on the
brakes.....then I developed clutch problems . The garge was ready to charge
me 600 quid for a new clutch the group suggested I get a friend to bleed the
clutch system............they saved me £580. I kept my job (not very well
paid but keeps a roof over our heads because I was able to keep the car on
the road......and that is not an exaggeration!)
There was a a bit of 'movement' through the steering I could detect, it's
difficult to describe, but its the same again.

There is no evidence of any oil loss either dripping or burning, and it
hasn't used any oil since it was topped up by a freind of mine.

Any ideas on price?

Originally the Saab was my choice of car, now as I'm on my own it's hard to
look after but I can't afford to part with. I really do have to keep her
going at least for another 6 months if at all possible.
Thanks for taking the time and trouble to reply.
D





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Denise wrote:
No you are not writing a book :-(
Yeap, me and a couple of others I remembered the suggestion hence the
point if you are writing a book.

I get a friend to bleed the
You might need said friend again. See below...

I am tempted to say it is not the bearing. Try the following ...

Find a nice road with (gentle) sweeping left and right curves. Get a
nice steady speed and get used to the noise of the car. Watch if the
noise coming from the wheels changes as you go through the curves. As
you go through a left curve the right side of the car will be loaded
more and vice-versa. If there is a faulty bearing you will get more
noise when you load the side with the faulty bearing.

The change in sound can be (not as loud but ...) the same as when you
move from a piece of smooth tarmac to tarmac that is a bit more rough.

Looking for simple faults (guessing)
* the garage did not replace the bearing and just tightened it more.
* the nut on the driveshaft that holds everything in place (under
pressure) is loose (and thus the bearing may have been hurt, but simple
re-tightening may fix the problem).

More likely though...
* a bad ball joint or
* a steering knuckle joint

.... some issue with the mounting of the suspension strut (MacPherson strut)

Worse of all (depending on price)
the play is actually in the steering rack.

OK. You are none the wiser now (neither am I).

Most of the faults I am listing above would show in a simple MOT test.
I would go to a trustworthy MOT garage, and ask them to check the front
suspension as if they were doing an MOT test. It should not cost you
the full MOT cost. It might even be best if said friend (man I guess,
as they are more likely to do you being a woman) can take the car for
you and wait whilst they check it so he can see what is the problem.

What garage is this. Your local? Do you take the car for the MOT
there. Does it come recommended? They seem to do a lot of work on your
car, and they also wanted to do a clutch for £600.
Start again.

It run out of oil. Then your friend topped it up, and it has been OK
since? Has it run for as long (mileage) as it did from the oil change
till you found it empty?

The brushes are just small pieces of carbon like those here
http://www.anglocarbon.com/acatalog/automotive.htm

Finding them may not be too easy ... but I would say less then £5. The
labour to fit them could be more than replacing the alternator (as the
alternator would have to take it out). The problem with doing it in a
garage is that the garage may not be happy to replace the brushes,
charge the full labour only for something else to go wrong and you go
back complaining.

Ask friend again?

If the battery light comes on you *must* fix the problem (It may be the
alternator or a bad battery or ... you need a proper diagnosis). You
will end up with a flat battery and immobile!!!

I understand.

Battery light first.

If you need a complete alternator (the ones I see on a couple of
internet outlets are between £80-120 +VAT +PP) worth buying locally if
you can ... then I would also try to get that half MOT test done. You
need to know how serious (money and/or safety) the two problems you have
are ... and how much they will cost in total.

See how far you get with this group. There are some knowledgeable
people at uk.rec.cars.maintenance. They might be able to recommend an
honest garage in your area.

Hope it helps a little.
Regards
Charles


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If you need a complete alternator (the ones I see on a couple of
internet outlets are between £80-120 +VAT +PP) worth buying locally if
you can ... then I would also try to get that half MOT test done. You
need to know how serious (money and/or safety) the two problems you have
are ... and how much they will cost in total.

Thanks very much for your reply again. I've just been quoted £170 plus vat
for the alternator and up to 2 hours labour plus vat............basically no
change out of 250
D





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Denise wrote:

Same garage as before? If yes, time you try another one. I can't say
if it is cheap or expensive I am afraid.

Charles

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In article <454f110c$0$7138$a8266bb1 (AT) news (DOT) titannews.com>,
denise_research@*nospam*hotmail.com says...
normal. This usually means they haven't been fitted dead straight with a
press, or they have been beaten in and it has forced something into a
shape it shouldn't be in.

Not always of course. But sometimes.
--
Carl Robson
Audio stream: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com:8000/samtest
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com
Now Playing at home:Killing Miranda-Discotheque necronomicon

Elder wrote:
This does not apply to a 9000. The bearings seem to come fitted in a
kind of mini hub (or that is what it looks like in the manual).

Charles

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"Denise" <denise_research@*nospam*hotmail.com> wrote

My car is feeling better! A nice garage in Plymouth sorted me out with a new
alternator, fitted it, changed the fan belt, checked out the wheel bearings
etc..............all for £105 inc VAT!
.........and the problem I had that I thought was the wheel bearing.....seems
to have magically cured itself after the mechanic put things back together!
Thank you once again for taking the time and trouble to read through my post
and to reply to it. This group is a real help.
Regards and best wishes to all,
Denise
x





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Denise wrote:


Magically, No :-)

Did they put air in the tyres? That would be free of charge ;-)

What I mean is, had you checked the tyre pressures when the car was not
behaving correctly?

I hope you are not back with any problems :-)

Take care
Charles


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